So a couple of months ago, we bought a nice shiny green Peugeot 406. Everything electrical, including immobiliser, seat positions and radio. The only problem is that no-one seems to know what the radio code is.
We rang the previous owners, but they didn’t know(!). We checked with Peugeot, and they’re happy to provide us with the code (as we have the radio id number and car details to match) for a princely fee. Naturally, this isn’t a great option, especially so close to Xmas.
We can’t be the first people to get stuck like this - so does anybody have any ideas as to where we might get the code from (preferably legally)? It does seem unfair to have to pay for the privilege, although we could live with a nominal sum, I guess.
No, it’s not in the manual. The code is a unique identifier for that particular radio. What is possible is that there is a stock code for situations like this, but Peugeot would rather have you fork out an arm and a leg for it!
My wife couldn’t find the code for her radio in her Golf. As it was due a service (and she insists on getting these done by the VW dealer) we asked them if they could supply the code, which they did for free (all it cost was the exorbitant amount of money required for the service!)
If you know the original suppliers it might be worth a try asking them, they might have the records - that’s how I did it once years ago.
Ugh. Something similar happened with the radio in an old car that my wife owned. The battery had been disconnected, so the radio went into “anti-theft” mode and refused to turn on until the code was entered. Naturally, we didn’t have the code, and this occurred just before a nine hour interstate trip. After the trip, we took the car (a Honda) to a car audio installer and paid about $20 just to have them pull the radio and read the serial number off the back. We gave that serial number to a Honda dealership, and they looked up the code for free.
If they’re charging more than you’re comfortable with, why not just replace the whole radio? You can install something that’s precisely what you want.
If that is a serious question, then I would have to say I think immobiliser = engine immobiliser.
Unless you’ve correctly unlocked the car etc. the engine will not start.
I had an iffy Ford once that needed a special technique (due to wear) unlocking the door, otherwise the electronics prevented electrical supply to the engine. Caused me a load of grief until I found out what was going on.
It was a serious question. I’d never heard of an immobiliser in connection with a car before. But then, I’ve never owned a car with any kind of security system more complex than the standard doorlock, either.
That’s why I had all that grief, neither had I. I bought the car second hand and drove it home. Next day the car refused to start, because I was unlocking it wrongly (in the computer’s eyes ) and it took a couple of days figuring it out.
I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around the concept of radio codes. I’ve never heard of this before, and every car I’ve ever owned had a radio that you simply turned on and it worked.
I’m assuming based on some of the comments in this thread that it must be some kind of theft prevention measure, which I suppose makes sense in high crime areas where radios are stolen from cars.
But if anyone can find out the code based on the radio’s serial number, this would seem to defeat the entire purpose.
Thats odd. Every radio I have ever seen with anti-theft has either had the code in the owners manual or a little sheet of paper that came with the owners manual. Have you tried looking at the rest of the stuff in the glove?
It is an anti-thift feature. It’s been around for several years now, and it seems to be more common on European cars (though certainly not exclusive to them).
Dealerships can get the code if they have the radio’s serial number. They shouldn’t, and almost certainly don’t, just give it to anyone with the serial number. Proof of ownership of the car should be ascertained first.
The original purchaser of the car should have been, and almost certainly was, given the radio code. Usually it’s written down on a separate card, with the sensible admonition to not keep it in the car, where it would be accessible to a radio thief. In most cases, it ends up being kept with a bunch of other vehicle-related paperwork, perhaps in a file cabinet at home. With that in mind, in this case I would first look through every page of paperwork and booklets that I got when I bought the car, and if that didn’t turn it up I’d again call the previous owner and ask them to search for any such file. With luck, they kept the code and didn’t throw it out when they sold the car.
I don’t know about the rest of Europe, but in UK terms an “immobiliser” is a special passive circuit in a car that prevents it from being started, as a theft preventative. There’s instructions online for installing a home-made ones yourself, that uses a magnetic hidden switch in the plastic interior area somewhere. I don’t know what the manufacturer-versions involve. http://f2.autospeed.com/cms/A_0059/printArticle.html
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Thanks for all the comments - I’ve tried all these things so far. Next step is to approach a dealership with the radio code and registration docs in the hope they’ll give us the code.
If not, the online service might do the trick, so long as it’s kosher!